The New York City Police Department investigators inspect a bullet hole at the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Manhattan on July 29, 2025.
A man who fatally shot four people before killing himself in a Manhattan skyscraper Monday night may have been targeting the NFL’s headquarters, blaming the American football league for his deteriorating mental health, told Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday.
The New York Mayor confirmed on Tuesday, the shooter identified as 27-year old Shane Tamura was found carrying a note referencing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition linked to repeated head trauma often seen in former football players.
Tamura opened fire on a police officer outside the Park Avenue tower before entering the lobby with a semi-automatic rifle, killing three civilians. He then attempted to reach the NFL offices located within the building but was intercepted by law enforcement. After a brief standoff, Tamura turned the weapon on himself.
Authorities say Tamura’s note suggested he believed the NFL was responsible for brain injuries he claimed to have sustained, although it is unclear whether he ever played professional football. Investigators are working to trace his background, including any ties to the sport at college or amateur levels.
The shooting sent shockwaves through Midtown, prompting a massive emergency response and a temporary lockdown of the area.
The suicide note said "that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participated in contact sports. He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury," Adams told CBS News.
Adams said that Tamura had never actually played for the top professional league. However, he was reportedly a star player at high-school-level in California.
The suicide note asked that his brain be kept for examination for CTE damage, The New York Times reported.
The bloodshed sparked a massive police response in the teeming center of the city — not far from where a man with a grievance against UnitedHealthcare gunned down the medical insurance company's CEO in broad daylight last December.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a news conference that Tamura had a history of mental health issues.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the mass shooting a "senseless act of violence" carried out by a "lunatic."
